Mailboxes are engulfed in snow in front of Ebenezer Mennonite Bible School on York Road near Spring Grove. (Clare Becker - FOR THE DAILY RECORD/SUNDAY NEWS)

Most commuters hope that last week's storm that deposited nearly 20 inches of snow in some areas of York County will be the last of its kind, at least for this winter.

However, should Mother Nature see fit to dish out another round of wintery precipitation, York's Postmaster has some advice to those left to shovel.

After the driveway and walkways are cleared, take a few moments to visualize if a vehicle would be able to drive up to the mailbox and deposit a letter through an open window, safely.

"If you can't visualize it, you still have some work to do," said Mike Becker, York's Postmaster.

In the wake of last week's storm, some plows didn't move snow all the way to the edge, leaving a 4 or 5 foot barrier of snow between mailboxes and cleared asphalt, Becker said.

"In many cases, the postal driver can't reach from the window over the plowed snow," he said.

The average postal worker for a mounted route, or curb-side delivery, handles between 500 to 600 deliveries a day. "There isn't time for them to park, get out and walk to every box," Becker said.

Just driving through deep snow in front of mailboxes can be a hazard

Even though mail trucks are equipped with tire cables to help with traction, at times a tow truck must be called to free a mail vehicle stuck in snow and ice in front of a mailbox on an otherwise clear street, he said.

In the case of last week's storm, many postal drivers had to re-check regular routes twice to see if neighborhood roads had been cleared of snow, Becker said.

"The employees here, I'm just so proud of them," he said. "They really have risen to the occasion and faced all the challenges. This has been one of the most challenging winters for us."

So, what happens when deep snow prevents a mail carrier from making a delivery?

Often, when the carrier can see that at least an attempt was made to clear around mailbox, they will get out of their vehicle and place the mail in the box, Becker said. The carriers have it within their discretion to withhold mail if they can't get safely down the street or can't get safely to the mailbox, said USPS spokeswoman Karen Mazurkiewicz.

People who are able to get out of their snowbound neighborhoods can pick up their mail at their post office, she said, until the road is clear enough to resume deliveries.

But you should call ahead first, as the mail could be with your carrier or at another location. If you're not sure which post office handles your route, go to www.usps.com and plug in your address.

And in case you're wondering, USPS doesn't have an official motto of "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds."

While it considers that saying to be a tribute, it didn't draw it up. Rather, it was the idea of one of the architects involved in designing the New York post office that opened in 1914.